Need help solving terrible grinding noise at 55mph+

It was just a GoPro set up below the truck while I was in the cab! Nobody was ever under the truck

 

I think he was referring to you having a plan and a clear path/trajectory ahead of you if things went awry.

 

I was told to use this lube from Ford for the splines.

$19 Genuine Ford Fluid XG-8 PTFE Lubricant - 3 oz.

https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Ford-Fluid-XG-8-Lubricant/dp/B000NU77DA?th=1

 

Yes

 

Op did you ever fix your problem? I’m having the same issue since installing ome lift, 3 degree shims made it worse

 

Yes I’m still having the problem. It’s definitely not as bad since I changed the ujoints and greased everything but the noise is still there.

 

I just swapped the driveshaft around. So far no more noise. Be careful tapping the bolts out, they’re soft and get chewed up easily.

 

How’d the splines look?

 

The seemed fine, same with the u joints. I didn’t grease the slip yoke but that didn’t seem bad either. The 3 degree shim made the truck worse and honestly didn’t look like it change the angle much. I’m hoping the noise doesn’t come back.

Also the droning sound is gone, was never really sure if that was normal or not.

 

any update?

 

Updating this thread for my first post just wanted to share my experience lifting and solving the regular cab lift noises and issues described above. Sorry I’m advance for being a little long winded but these problems drove me nuts and wanted to be thorough. I’ve learned a lot on these forums when planning out my build and now I can give something back.


This was my first Toyota truck that I bought last year with plans to lift it 2-3 inches. (Side note: Thought I was avoiding the rusted frame issue by getting a 2011 but found a TSB a few months later and ended up getting a new frame on a 160,000 mile truck so I lucked out pretty good.) After the new frame I installed Fox 2.0 shocks all around and Icon RXT leaf springs. Both the coilovers and leaf springs were rated for 2 inches lift but ended up with 3” probably cause the regular cabs are lighter.


Right off the bat had grinding noises and vibes similar to everyone else in this thread. Tried flipping the driveshaft and a spacer from 4crawler as well as weighing down the back with 300ish pounds which helped but didn’t eliminate the noises.


Measured the u joint angles and thought that shims would’ve made the problem worse by not making the pinion parallel to the transfer case or would’ve maxed out the operating angles on the ujoints themselves which probably would’ve made the vibrations even worse at highway rpm’s.


Called up Tom Wood’s Driveshafts and they speced me a driveshaft with a constant velocity joint at the transfer case end. Check out their website too it explains everything. Installed the driveshaft along with angles shims that would’ve pointed the pinion up towards the driveshaft within 3 degrees as they recommended. Although I made a mistake on which shims I needed so I ended up with 4 degrees difference between the driveshaft and the pinion flange which I’ll be correcting soon. Despite being slightly off all of the noises and vibes went away along with the typical shudder that occurs when accelerating from a stop. The truck now drives smoother than when it was stock. it amazes me that Toyota didn’t go with a cv driveshaft similar to these at the factory.


Ultimately I think that the driveshaft and the pinion/axle isn’t able to handle the steeper angles caused by a lift kit. The new driveshaft wasn’t the cheapest option but it solved multiple problems for me and hopefully pays for itself by reducing wear and tear on the driveline. I can provide a more detailed build list if anyone wants more info or pictures.

 

@Flatlander73 hey trying to solve vibes on my regular cab with 2.5-3 inch lift and just found this thread. I’m curious in what measurements you went with/shaft type, and definitely would like to see the pictures if you have them.

right now I have a brand new Toyota drive shaft. My mechanic zeroed out the angles on both ends with 2 degree shims but the vibes are still awful….even worse with the shims actually. I think this might be my next step and I hope it smooths everything out